Nutmeg Keeps Life Spicy

Wally has a “sister”, Nutmeg. I didn’t know that there were two dogs living in the household the first time I visited, so when I heard the frantic barking on the other side of the door I got a bit worried about the Leonberger I was about to meet. Loud, menacing barking from what was supposed to be a 4-month old laid-back Leonberger? This is going to be interesting! Turns out it was Nutmeg the alarm-greeter, ready to bite my face off. Her front door behavior was scary, and though I was there to work with Wally, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to leave without doing some stuff with Nutmeg as well. I broke down at week 3 and invited her to come leash walking with us. Big surprise: she’s a tough guy too. (Geez, who isn’t these days?) As always, “victim” dogs were few and far between, but we did see a couple and Nutmeg rocked it. Though her leash surliness is deeply entrenched, she managed to pass by a few dogs with just a slight “harrumph.” She also managed to greet me at the door with a more subdued bark … it’s still there, but it’s less intense now. I know that there’s a training superstar under that grumpy exterior!